Fourthly, My last argument to evince this necessity that is incum- ])ent on the people of God, that this dominion of sin be not set up in their hearts, is because otherwise they cannot maintain and keep up any lively hope of glory. That I shall evidence by some scriptures : Eom. vi. 8, ' If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.' If we die to sin so as never to allow it, or to return to llie love and practice of it any more, then the christian faith promiseth some good to us, we have hopes of living with Christ, or a joyful resurrection to eternal life ; for the christian life is an entrance and introduction into the life of glory. So Eom. viii. 13, 'If ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.' The scripture is plain in setting down the characters of those that shall go to heaven or to hell, and very decisive and peremptory : ' If we live alter the flesh, we shall die.' It doth not say, if we have lived after the flesh ; for that would cut off the hope of all the living. One man was first good, and after bad, as Adafu ; another never bad, always
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good, as Christ ; of all the rest, none ever proved good who was not sometimes bad ; we all live after the flesh before we come to live after the Spirit. But if we do still accommodate ourselves to obey and fulfil the motions of the flesh, Christ speaketh no good to such. But now, see the promise of God to those that keep mortifying of sin, striving against sin; ' they shall live,' not only the life of grace, for surely by their progress in mortification vivification is furthered and increased ; as we grow dead to sin, we are more alive to righteousness ; but the life of glory is a greater boon than we can deserve, as much as we can desire, more than we can make any part of requital for. There is scarce any one scripture by which a man may sooner come to a decision of his spiritual estate than this, for it puts it to a short issue ; prevent the reign of sin, and your title to everlasting glory will not be so dark and litigious ; make conscience of subduing and suppressing the secret inclinations and desires of the flesh by the Spirit, and you have by warrant of scripture a full and sufficient evidence. All the deeds of the flesh must be mortified before we can see our interest ; though not universally and totally, yet still we must go on with it. Sin is mortal if it be not mortified ; so that a necessity is laid upon us of killing our lusts, or being killed by them. The apostle doth not say, ' If the deeds of the flesh be mortified in you through the Spirit ;' but ' if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body.' We must not dream of a mortification to be wrought in us without our consent or endeavours, as well whilst we are asleep as whilst we are waking, as if it were wrought in our cradles, whilst we are passing our time in childish play and pastime, or should be done in our riper age, without any careful watch over our works and thoughts ; or it may be by a sluggish wish or slight prayer, as if this would master sin. No ; all renewed ones must seriously address themselves to the work ; the flesh must be mortified, and mortified it must be by us through the Spirit, if we would cherish the hopes of eternal life. The Spirit alone giveth victory, but we must be active in it ; for his grace and powerful victorious work doth not license us to be idle, but rather calleth for an assiduous, diligent, and faithful use of means. The less earnest the conflict is between the flesh and the Spirit, the longer will the old man live in us, and our peace and hope will be the more doubtful ; but the more serious our endeavours are, the sooner shall we come to a determination in the great affairs and interests of our precious and immortal souls.
SERMON XIV.
Fm* sin shall not have dominion over you ; for ye are not under the law, hut under grace. — Rom. VI. 14.
Thirdly, The hopes of victory and success through the grace of Jesue Christ. Now many things there are which give us hopeful encourage- ment in our conflicts with sin.
1. The undertaking of our blessed Redeemer. Freedom from sin
VeR. 14.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. 275
was a part of that salvation which he purchased for us : Mat. i. 21, ' He shall save his people from their sins ; ' Titus ii. 14, ' Who gave liimself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity.' It is not only an evidence, but apart, yea, a principal part, as those means which have a more immediate connection with the end are more noble than others which are more remote. The last end is the glory of God. Now our conformity to God, and the holiness and subjection of the creature, is a nearer means to it than our comfort and pardon. Christ's end was to fit us for God's use, and therefore his business was to sanctify and free us from sin : 1 John iii. 8, ' For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil,' iW Xvari, which signifies to dissolve, untie, unloose a knot. This was the end of liis coming ; and will he come in vain, and miss of his end ? The work of the devil is to bring us into sin and misery, and the Lord knoweth we are miserably entangled in the corruptions of our own hearts ; we know not how to loose these knots. Christ came for this purpose to untie them for us, and surely he cannot miss of his purpose if we consider the merit of his humiliation, what a price hath he paid for sanctifying grace ! 1 Peter i. 18, 19, 'Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.' So great a price was given, not only to heighten our esteem of the privilege, but also to increase our confidence while we are endeavouring and striving against sin. Christ wanted not any merit to make the purchase suffi- cient and effectual. Or if we consider the power of his exaltation ; having paid our ransom, he is let out of the prison of the grave, gone into heaven, and is fully commissioned and empowered to instiite us in this blessing of freedom from sin : Eph. iii. 20, ' Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.' Now what an encouragement is this to keep under that enemy which Christ hath done so much to slay and destroy ! What is his business now in heaven, but to sit at the right hand of God, and see the fruits of his mediation accomplished ? Those indeed that cherish that which Christ came to dissolve, as much as in th^m lies they seek to frustrate the undertaking of Christ. But now, whilst we are striving and warring upon sin, and seek the destruction of it, we are engaged in the same design Christ is, and therefore may liave the more confidence of his help, and receiving the fruits of his jmrchase ; his great intent was to bring us back unto God, and saving us from sin, not in sin ; and your heart is upon the same thing.